Update 7/27/17:
According to the New York Times, the existing policy on transgender people in the military "remains in place" for now, despite Trump's tweets. "The policy on who is allowed to serve will not change until the White House sends the Defense Department a rules change and the secretary of defense issues new guidelines."
Original article below:
On Wednesday, Donald Trump broke out the words "please" and "thank you" to make a shattering declaration on Twitter about transgender service in the military.
"After consultation with my General and military experts," wrote Trump, "the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military."
Citing "tremendous medical costs and disruption," Trump's tweets follow a CNN report from June 30 that said the "Pentagon is delaying a decision on allowing transgender people to enlist in the military for six months."
"In 2016, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban on transgender people being able to serve openly in the military," wrote CNN. The implementation of that decision was to come in stages.
The American Military Partner Association had responded to the news of the six month delay with a statement decrying the "disappointing" decision that "unnecessarily delays the ability of transgender people to be open about their identity when entering the military." They continued:
"It has been unequivocally proven that allowing qualified transgender people to serve openly strengthens our military and creates a more inclusive and diverse force. The issue has been thoroughly studied, and moving forward with this new recruitment policy is imperative in order for the military to be able to recruit the best talent our nation has to offer."
It is not clear at this time whether Trump will follow the tweet with an executive order or other official implementation.
Americans are still reeling at the announcement:
And reporters are trying to make sense of the news:
